"Sunshine" shafting
The Academy's Producers Branch Executive Committee gave Little Miss Sunshine producers Ron Yerxa and Albert Berger the royal shaft this morning by excluding them from the final roster of producers eligible to receive a Best Picture Oscar, if and when Sunshine wins.
The irony is that Yerxa and Berger were (a) the first producers to read and then attempt to find funding for Michael Arndt's Sunshine screenplay (they came on board only three or four weeks after 9.11.01), and (b) the ones who brought in co-directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris -- undoubtedly the chief creative contributors to Sunshine's success -- due to a past relationship they had with the husband-and-wife team.
The Sunshine producers who will be allowed up on stage to accept three separate Best Picture Oscars if the Fox Searchlight release wins are David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf and Marc Turtletaub. These guys are partnered and so are Berger and Yerxa; apparently it seemed simpler to the Academy committee to chop the twosome. But as Risky Biz blog's Anne Thompson has noted, "David Friendly cares so much about indie film that he wants to go back to making studio comedies because there's more money in it."
To guard against producer inflation, the Academy has determined that only three producers can receive a Best Picture Oscar, even though they will allow five Borat screenwriters (Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, Dan Mazer, Todd Phillips) or five Children of Men scribes (David Arata, Alfonso Cuaron, Mark Fergus, Timothy J. Sexton, Hawk Ostby) to take the stage if either script wins for Best Adapted Screenplay.
A second irony is that the Academy's three-producers-only rule ignores the fact that all five Sunshine producers were examined and accepted by the Producer's Guild, and all five reportedly took the stage last weekend when Little Miss Sunshine took the PGA Best Picture award.
It just seems completely arbitrary and damned unfair. There should be some sort of mechanism or appeal process that allows for a just dispensation in cases like this. It was the desire of all the Sunshine producers to be recognized equally, and it's just seems a shame that 40% of the team is getting fucked.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on January 26, 2007 at 4:13 PM
comment #1
Hallick
says ...
Well, um, all I can to that is, "thank God it's moot". I'm endlessly fond of LMS, but it isn't going to win. But if it does, those names better be the first ones out of the winners' mouths and they'd better make as big a stink about it as any actor who thought their political views were invited to share the stage with them.
Then again, at that point it'll be 11:38pm or something and nobody's going to hear a word of it.
Posted by Hallick
at January 26, 2007 6:10 PM
comment #2
JD
says ...
Just out of curiosity, how does the contribution of the three nominated producers differ from these other two (other than the origins issue you already mentioned)? In any case, this certainly sounds unfair. Wasn't the debacle with Bob Yari and Crash similar last year? The guy financed the movie out of his pocket and still didn't get an Oscar when it won best picture. I guess it all comes down to how the Academy defines producer. And how do they define it exactly?
Posted by JD
at January 26, 2007 6:18 PM
comment #3
Dixon Steele
says ...
The PGA divides producing duties into four categories:
Development - 20%
Pre-Production - 25%
Production - 25%
Post-Production - 20%
You have to submit a detailed explanation of who did what exactly, with above categories and their importance (note the %s) rendering the decision.
It's a flawed system, to say the least.
Posted by Dixon Steele
at January 26, 2007 6:25 PM
comment #4
le corbeau
says ...
This is a real shame because Berger and Yerxa are the good guys-- producers who produce only what they believe in and make quality movies happen. We sure wouldn't want to encourage that in Hollywood, Academy.
Posted by le corbeau
at January 26, 2007 7:17 PM
comment #5
jeffmcm
says ...
That leaves 10% over for...what?
Posted by jeffmcm
at January 26, 2007 8:40 PM
comment #6
Thrudvangar
says ...
Welcome back, Jeff. We missed your reportage. Hope you had a blast in Sundance.
Q:Why does Babel suck?
Q:Why is the the greatest film of the year, COM not even nominated. I may even forgive you, Jeff for the Munich debacle since you champion COM.
Posted by Thrudvangar
at January 26, 2007 9:27 PM
comment #7
Doug
says ...
This three producers only rule has got to end. It's arbitrary and wrong. Instead of helping AMPAS, the PGA should be fighting them over this.
If AMPAS isn't going to honor all the credited producers of nominated films, they should just give the Best Picture Oscar to the Studio. Oh, wait a minute. Sometimes more than one studio distributes a movie. My head is starting to hurt.
Posted by Doug
at January 27, 2007 1:09 AM
comment #8
Breedlove
says ...
on a somewhat more star-fucky note, i would really enjoy brad pitt strolling up there at the end of the night to accept a best picture award if 'the departed' were to win...didn't care for 'little miss sunshine' myself but this seems unfair.
Posted by Breedlove
at January 27, 2007 6:52 AM